It's hard to believe that it has been almost two years since Marvel Comics turned Spider-Man, their flagship character, over to J. Michael Straczynski. It never seemd to be a particularily bold move, as the book was guarenteed instant success. When you are talking about the iconic characters, Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, the X-Men... These books sell no matter who is doing them. However, when you combine a popular iconic character with a "hot" creator, then you create a sensation. While I thought that the results were competent, I was never knocked out by Straczynski's work on Spider-Man. Like a skillful director going through the motions, Straczynski's writing hits all of the marks without ever going anywhere unpredictable. His obvious skill as a storyteller makes the book a good read, but you can't help but feel that it could have been so much more. Which brings us to the new incarnation of Batman.
Like Spider-Man, the Batman comics sell no mater who is writing or drawing them. When it was announced that Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee would be taking over the book, the fan press went wild with anticipation. Loeb has shown a tremendous knack for cutting to the heart of an individual superheroes mythos. His writing on Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman: For All Seasons and Daredevil: Yellow each reflected the books central character in a way that few writers can manage. In each case Loeb breathed new life into the characters without straying one step from who they were identified to be. This is a much more difficult task that it seems on the surface, as even writers such as Frank Miller cannot touch a character without creating "The Frank Miller version of Batman (or Daredevil)" There is no "Jeph Loeb version" of Batman or Superman and yet each incarnation not only worked beautifully, but seemed fresh and new. In each of those cases, Loeb was illustrated by artist Tim Sale. Sales work was an integral part of those books, but ultimately it was Loebs writing that made each book work.
Batman #608 suffers from a problem that often plagues a project like this one. As it is the first chapter of a long storyline, it really doesn't give you very much in the way of story development. the book begins with Batman infiltrating an underground lair where Killer Croc and several mercenaries hold a young boy hostage for ransom.The book launches immediately into action with little background story given or needed. It comes to a rather unsatisfying conclusion, but that is because the whole kidnapping plot is mearly set up for a larger storyline involving Catwoman, Poison Ivy and who knows who else. At the end of the issue you don't know what is going on. But you really don't care because you are still catching your breath over the art.
Jim Lee is a much different case from Jeph Loeb. One of the most popular artist of the late 80's and early 90's, Lee's name was synonymous with Hot, dynamic reinvention. For a while it seemed as if every other new artist that came along was an imitator of Jim Lee's work. he was the only Image founder not to court controversy, largely because he preferred to quietly work behind the scenes and run his business. In fact, he because so involved with running his business that he drew less and less comics. So Batman is the first regular project that we have seen from his in several years. There are times in Batman # 608 when it seems as if he has been spending those years working on this one book. What the book lacks in plot, it more than makes up for with breathtaking art. Batman and Catwomans aerial chase over Gotham is easily worth the price of the book. As the book is almost entirely action, each page shows Lee's talent for dynamic layouts. It is not that Jim Lee is the single greatest artist to pick up a pencil. However, he has a talent to make the art literally jump off the page at you. Anyone who picks up this book to casually flip through it will undoubtedly buy it. Most everyone will be buying Batman #608 for the art, which is fair because it is only the art which elevates the book beyond adequate.
Like Straczynski's work on Spider-Man, Batman #608 is not all that it could have been. It provides adequate setup for what will undoubtedly be a more complex story. Given Jeph Loeb's track record, we can expect more plot development as the story progresses, but in this first issue, their is little given. Here, it is mostly action scenes that mearly support eye popping visuals. In movie terms it is what we would call a popcorn movie. There is simply not enough plot given to draw the reader into the story, nor would anyone care about the next issue if the book didn't look so good. But like a blockbuster summer movie, this book sizzles visually. Aspiring young artists will go back to the book repeatedly for inspiration on comic layout techniques. For fans of blockbuster entertainment that is so overwhelming on style that substance really doesn't matter, Batman #608 is just the book.
